Relationship dossier
People's Republic of China
Spain
Relationship assessment
A long-running strategic partnership with substantial engagement, alongside differences shaped by EU-China trade policy.
People's Republic of China toward Spain
+35China has maintained a comprehensive strategic partnership with Spain since 2005 and pursued high-level engagement, including Xi Jinping’s 2018 state visit and bilateral cooperation agreements. China has also included Spanish citizens in its visa-free travel policy.
Spain toward People's Republic of China
+35Spain maintains a comprehensive strategic partnership with China, joined the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as a founding member, and signed a cooperation memorandum with China in 2018. Spain has also continued bilateral engagement while operating within EU policy on trade and China.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship has a durable framework for political and economic cooperation, supported by a strategic partnership and recurring bilateral engagement. Its scope is tempered by EU-China trade and policy disagreements, which affect Spain’s room for independent alignment with Beijing.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
China and Spain maintain a broad cooperative relationship, formalized as a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2005. High-level engagement and economic cooperation have continued, including Spain’s participation in China-related initiatives and bilateral agreements. Their relationship also operates within EU-China trade and policy tensions, which constrain alignment on some issues.
Areas of tension
- Differences over EU trade-defence measures affecting Chinese goods, including electric vehicles.
Key developments
China and Spain established a comprehensive strategic partnership.
During Xi Jinping’s state visit, the two governments signed a cooperation memorandum associated with China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Spain joined the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as a founding member.
Major uncertainties
- The implementation and present scope of bilateral cooperation agreements are unclear.
- The extent of specific bilateral economic projects and their outcomes is uncertain.